


Pieces Of Me

by SisterDuffin



Category: Casualty (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 14:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19703470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SisterDuffin/pseuds/SisterDuffin
Summary: (AU) He thought they were happy. Granted, their marriage wasn’t necessarily perfect but it was happy, wasn’t it? This was still a learning curve for Charlie, he was still learning how to be a good husband even though it was his second marriage. [AU for episode 15, speculation for episode 16]





	Pieces Of Me

“Please Charlie, lets talk about this.”

Shit had well and truly hit the fan. Charlie had discovered her one night stand with Bill, how he had discovered it, Duffy didn’t know but he had. Now he was in their bedroom, chucking her stuff into a bag. He laughed angrily when he heard her words and answered;

“Talk about what? How my wife is a dirty slapper?”

She closed her eyes. Ouch, that hurt. Her husband calling her a slapper, it was what she deserved though. She was a slapper, given it on a plate for the first man that paid her a bit of attention.

“I didn’t think so.” He zipped up her bag that contained a few essentials and threw it in her direction. She just managed to avoid being hit before she stepped towards him, reaching out for his arm.

“Charlie, please.” She whispered and he moved his arm out of reach, unable to bare being touched by her.

“Get out of my sight Lisa, I can’t bare to even look at you!” He hissed in reply.

She closed her eyes again. If she didn’t know how much she’d hurt him before, she did now for the fact he’d addressed her as Lisa. Only once in the thirty-two year period of them being friends, had he ever called her Lisa.

She swallowed and moved away, picking up the bag that had ended up by the door. She bent down to pick it up, stood back up and looked at Charlie. She swallowed her tears before she told him how sorry she was.

Charlie closed his eyes tightly as he heard her footsteps leave the bedroom, walk across the hall, down the stairs and out of the front door. Once the door closed with a slight thud, Charlie sat on the end of the bed and sobbed. His sadness soon turned into anger and grabbing their wedding photo from the beside table, he threw it at the wall. As it shattered into pieces, his heart felt the same way.

Of all the people, he never thought Duffy would do anything to hurt him.

As she slammed the door behind her, it suddenly dawned on Duffy that she had nowhere to go. She didn’t have many friends, scrap that, she didn’t have any friends that she could talk to about this. Well there was one friend, Jan. She could go there, couldn’t she?

She decided against it, instead opting to check herself in a hotel. That way she didn’t have to talk to anyone. (As lovely as Jan was, she was like a dog with a bone and wouldn’t give up until she knew exactly why Charlie and Duffy had rowed and Duffy wasn’t sure she wanted to be the subject of gossip)

Sitting in her hotel room, cross-legged on top of the covers of the bed; she suddenly realised how empty she was. Going through her handbag, she realised she didn’t have her antidepressants on her. She sighed, she’d just have to go through withdrawal if need be.

Duffy took off her wedding ring and held it to the light. The happiest day of her life when she married her best friend. Now the marriage was in tatters because of her actions. She began to cry, alone in a hotel room feeling the worst she’d ever felt in a long time.

-x-

He poured another glass of whiskey, necked it back like a shot and filled the glass full again. He sighed heavily, the bottle now half empty. Charlie had thrown his wife out, just over an hour ago (an hour and fifteen minutes to be precised) and for most of the hour, he’d been here, drinking his sorrows away; attempting to drown his heartache.

He couldn’t understand why. Why she’d hurt him the way she had, what had he done so wrong that deserved his heart to be shattered into pieces. He swirled the liquid around in his glass, necked it back and broke down crying again. Something he’d done a lot off in the past half an hour.

He thought they were happy. Granted, their marriage wasn’t necessarily perfect but it was happy, wasn’t it? This was still a learning curve for Charlie, he was still learning how to be a good husband even though it was his second marriage. His marriage to Baz hadn’t been conventional, he’d tried to do everything by the book and yet they barely spent any time together. His finger ran around the rim of the glass, he really thought he’d found his soulmate in Duffy.

It wasn’t the first time she’d cheated in a marriage. Charlie had, once upon a time, caught her snogging Max whilst married to Andrew. In all fairness, Andrew had cheated on her numerous times but he never thought she’d cheat on him. They connected, on a far deeper level that anyone he’d ever met, he knew her inside and out. Yet why had she still chosen to break his heart?

He slid the glass to the edge of the table and watched as it toppled over the side. As it shattered on the tiled floor beneath his feet, he swigged from the whiskey bottle directly.

He got up off the chair, the chair legs screeching against the floor and stumbled to his way into the lounge. As he reached for the photo album on the bookcase, he frowned when the light reflected off something in between one of the books. With a frown, he reached for the object and pulled it out.

Tablets? He frowned more when he turned them over. There were — he counted — eleven pills contained, half white and half green. He was confused. They weren’t his medication, nor were they Duffy’s….

He opened the drawer, finding the box that came with the tablets. His eyes widened when he read the name on the box. They were Duffy’s after all. He thumbed the box, wondering why she’d never told him but also wondering if this was part of the reason she’d acted so… _out of character_.

He chucked the box onto the table, it sliding off along the surface and hitting the floor instead. It had, by millimetres just missed taking the whiskey bottle with it as it flew over the edge.

He picked up his phone and tried to call Duffy.

-x-

Duffy sat at the bar of the hotel, she’d got tired of crying and staring at the plain four walls. She trailed her finger along the rim of her wine glass, two empty shot glasses beside the glass.

Her phone vibrated against the bar and she looked down, her heart skipping a beat when Charlie’s name flashed upon her screen. She smiled sadly and declined the call, she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk. She knew they needed too, in time but right now; she was busy downing her sorrows.

A couple of seconds later, a text came through.

_Please, I want us to talk. Xx_

She read the text. She didn’t get a sense of anger in his text and she didn’t know what to do. Finishing her second glass of wine, she responded with her hotel details and her room number. Whilst she waited for him to arrive, she ordered a bottle of wine and headed to her room with two glasses in tow.

Duffy sat down at the end of the bed and fiddled with her hands, twisting her wedding ring around her finger. The bottle of wine and the glasses on the table by the television. Hearing the knock at the door, her stomach sank and she felt sick. She stood up and slowly approached the door, trying to control her breathing.

He smiled sadly as she opened the door. Nothing was exchanged between the two as she stepped aside and allowed him to enter the room.

She closed it behind him and swallowed the sickness away. They were just going to talk, that was all.

-x-

“Do you… erm, want a drink?” She asked as he stood by the window. It was awkward and tense and he hated the atmosphere.

“Please.” He smiled softly before watching her as she opened the wine and poured them both a glass. Charlie knew he shouldn’t mix his drinks, he was too old for the hangover in the morning but he gratefully accepted the drink. It was something, a distraction at least. He took the glass, his hand brushing against hers and sipped the clear liquid.

“You wanted to talk?”

He nodded and sat down at the foot of the bed. She sat down next to him, a gap between them as she looked down at her wine glass. She edged closer to him and then decided a little bit of space was needed between them and moved again. In the end she opted to sit with her back against the headboard.

He moved, took off his shoes and sat beside her, his back also against the headboard. “I found these,” he said gently as he removed the packet of tablets from his pocket and handed them to her. She sighed and took the tablets.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, finishing the whiskey and leaving the empty glass on the bedside table.

“I…” She shrugged. “I didn’t want to be a disappointment to you. You needed me and…”

She sighed, necking back the wine and leaning over to place her wine glass next to Charlie’s. “I’m so sorry.”

He hesitated before he placed his hand on her knee. None of this was her fault. He was too blame. He’d spent too much time at work to even notice she was suffering.

“What is it, depression?”

She swallowed and nodded.

“I never meant to hurt you Charlie. I… I needed someone to talk too and…” she sighed, “I made a mistake and I’m so sorry.” A tear rolled down her cheek, quickly followed by another before she began to sob. Hearing her cry, broke Charlie’s heart and he wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t deserve his comfort, she didn’t deserve him. Not after this.

“I’m so sorry….” as she apologised again, her chest started becoming tighter, her breathing quickened. She gripped his shirt tightly as she began to experience a panic attack. Charlie swallowed and gently talked to her, reassured her until her breathing returned to normal.

“It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

“But I cheated Charlie, I… I ruined what we had.” She whispered, trying to swallow her tears but being unable too. His hand ran through her hair, trying to comfort her as much as he could. Despite everything that had happened, as soon as he found those tablets in the drawer, all the anger he had melted. All he wanted to do was make sure she was okay.

“I don’t know who I am, anymore.” She admitted sadly. “I’m not the woman you fell in love with.”

He pulled away slightly so he could make eye contact with her. With his fingers under her chin, he lifted her head up. “I fell in love with you more than thirty years ago. All I’ve done, is love you more as the years have passed.”

Her bottom lip wobbled as tears filled her eyes, “but I….”

He shook his head and pressed his finger to her lips. Then he gently wiped away the fresh tears and kissed her. Pulling away a few seconds later, he rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you Mrs Fairhead. Do you really think I’m going to throw away our marriage over a small mistake?” He smiled sadly, “yes it hurts but I..” He paused, “i forgive you.”

Knowing he forgave her, just made Duffy cry harder. She cried herself to sleep that night, shattered from the day’s emotions but knowing tomorrow, was the first day to begin healing. As long as Charlie was by her side. She could do anything, couldn’t she?


End file.
